An Eternal High
by Seph Lorraine
Summary: A normal mission, nothing unusual. Ken injects himself with some unusual substance and gets... very badly stoned. What is Aya going to do now? Complete.
1. This is the first part

Author's Note-- Oh Gods... I have gotten my muse back! O_O I can hardly contain myself, I haven't written anything in months! I'm back, though! Yay! Oh, but the many promises I've broken... All of my unfinished fanfiction, waiting to be completed. x_x This is going to have 4 parts, and yes, I'm sorry the first is so  
short, but the later shall be a bit lengthier.   
  
http://www.geocities.com/sephlorraine/dream.html  
  
Warnings-- Humourous use of drugs and their effects, Shounen ai (RanKen), OOC, Angst, Langauge, Silliness... Etc.  
  
Disclaimer-- Ich heisse Takehito Koyasu und... Er. I don't own it-- Let's just leave  
it at that, eh?  
  
  
________________________  
  
An Eternal High 1/4  
By Seph Lorraine  
________________________  
  
  
  
It was late. Very late. And he was tired. Very tired.   
  
"Go to sleep."  
  
"...No."  
  
"Good night."  
  
"Good night."  
  
"..."  
  
"..."  
  
"You're not alseep."  
  
"Yes I am."  
  
"You're eyes arent even closed."  
  
"I sleep with my eyes open."  
  
"You're talking."  
  
"I also talk in my sleep."  
  
"Go to sleep, Ken."  
  
"I'm not going to sleep."  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"Ken! Go to sleep, dammit!"  
  
"Aya... Did you know that if you spell your name backwards it's... Aya?" There was a hiccup followed by some badly muffled giggling.  
  
"Ken, shut up and go to sleep."  
  
"I told you! I'm not Ken; I'm nek!" More of that frighteningly cheerful noise emerged from Ken's throat.  
  
"You're Ken, so shut up!"  
  
"Hey Aya..."  
  
"Good night." He walked to the door.  
  
"Hey Aya..."  
  
"Good night, Ken." He reached for the light switch.  
  
"Hey Aya..."  
  
"..." There was a small click as the light went out and footsteps padded to the door.  
  
"...Aya?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Where did you go?" There was a bit of violent thrashing, "I'M BLINDED! I CAN'T SEE! WHERE'D EV'RYBODY GO!?"  
  
"Good NIGHT, Ken!"  
  
"...zzzZzZzZzz..."  
  
The tall redhead bit his tongue, holding back his frustration with the younger teen, now finally asleep. He released a deep sigh, very uncharacteristic of him, and opened the door, shaking his head. He couldn't really blame the kid. It wasn't his fault how it happened... Things like that happen when you can't control your mind.  
  
Aya opened the door, briskly entering the hallway and shutting the door behind him, his first sight was Omi, leaning against the wall across from the door.  
  
"Is he ok?"  
  
"He's never been ok."  
  
The blond sighed, yawning sleepily, but his eyes still worried and concerned. "Yea, but... How is he?"  
  
"...He's been better."  
  
The blond's brow creased, his eyes becoming livid, "Is he hurt?! Do we need an ambulance?!"  
  
"No... He's just a bit under the weather."  
  
"High?" Omi blinked.  
  
"Hai, high."  
  
There was some silent confusion.  
  
"Anyway..."  
  
"What do you mean that he's high?"  
  
"Well... it's a rather long story." Actually it was short, but Aya wasn't in the mood for anymore talking at the moment.  
  
"Can you tell it quickly?"  
  
Just then, Youji seemed to appear, striding from Ken's room (funny, Aya hadn't noticed him in there), [1] a wide smile of mirth and amusement shadowing his attrative features. "Hey guys, you'll never believe this... Ken's stoned!" [2]  
  
The older blond doubled over in laughter, as two sets of sarcastic eyes watched him with less than amusement.  
  
"..." Youji paused as he noticed the absence of humour emitted from his two teammates, "Er... So what happened?"  
  
Aya sighed. It looked like he wasn't going to get out of this. "Ken and I were out on the mission, as planned, and we had entered the lab, looking for our target. I had told Siberian to keep watch while I took care of the original objective, and of course, he ignored me and came with me. Well you know how it goes, Schuldig screwed around with Ken's head and he ended up injecting himself with a needle from the glass case on the wall... A hallucinogenic, I'm pretty sure."  
  
The others stared at him, silent.  
  
"And...?" Youji prodded.  
  
"I killed the target, and Schwartz disappeared."  
  
There was still silence.  
  
"And...?" The playboy prodded again.  
  
"...?"  
  
Omi's large blue eyes looked on imploringly.  
  
"And now he's stoned?"  
  
"...Oh." Youji paused, "How long is he going to be this way?"  
  
"I don't know. I figure the same amount of time one is usually under such a condition under the influence of such...things." Aya shrugged, becoming a bit irritated, and hoping to get some sleep soon. Glancing at his watch, he silently acknowledged the late time.  
  
"How long is that?"  
  
Omi looked at Youji, a look of bewilderment covering his face, "Haven't you ever been stoned, Yo-tan?"  
  
The taller blond bit his lip, looking to the floor.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Omi sighed, "He'll be over it when he wakes up."  
  
As if on cue, a large snore resounded from the confines of Ken's room.  
  
"Damn. We won't be able to have any fun with him." Youji snickered, "Heh... I'm going back to bed."   
  
Aya rolled his eyes darkly, "I'll be pleased to never be around him when he's... that way... again." Shaking his head, he walked towards his own room.  
  
"It'll be over by morning," Omi called, opening his bedroom door as well, "I'm sure of it."  
  
Deep within Youji's mind something suddenly flickered, 'But what if... it wasn't?'  
  
  
Meanwhile...  
  
Somewhere across the city, in the depths of his mental musings, a German telepath began to laugh with a maniacal echo, into the dark room around him--  
  
"Shut up, Schuldig!"  
  
"Go to sleep, Brad!"  
  
________________________  
  
To be continued...  
________________________  
  
  
Author's Notes--  
  
1) It's really not important where Youji came from, he's just cool like that... and good in stealth.  
  
2) I'm not sure if there is a difference between being high and being stoned. I've personally never been either, but I've been around some of my friends when they were... If there is a difference, please notify me so that I may correct my errors? 


	2. This is another part

Author's Note-- Aa, this took me a while... strangely. Please be aware that it is...  
quite random. Ken is acting a bit drastic, even for someone who is high, I know,  
but just play along, ok? A little bit of RanKen is showing up in this part, but only  
a little. And refridgerator poetry!   
  
  
  
  
http://www.geocities.com/sephlorraine/dream.html  
  
Warnings-- Humourous use of drugs and their effects, Shounen ai (RanKen), OOC, Angst, Langauge, Silliness... Etc.  
  
Disclaimer-- I don't own it. Das ist argern... That I don't, that is. _  
  
  
________________________  
  
An Eternal High 2/4 (Please do not simplify this fraction)  
By Seph Lorraine  
________________________  
  
  
  
  
Morning came sooner than was expected, and even stranger, Aya's wake came later. Fujimiya Aya was almost always the first one up in the mornings that the shop was due open (excluding Omi's jogging days, and Ken's soccer days, and the few occassions when Youji simply hadn't gotten home yet), though, strangely, this morning he did not awaken until a very tentative knock sounded from his door.  
  
At first, hearing it, he dismissed the irritating noise, and shut his eyes once more, though the knocking persisted, and finally a smaller voice joined in.  
  
"Hey, Aya... Are you in there?" Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock...  
  
"...Hn..." Aya grunted from the comfort of his pillows.  
  
"Are you coming down to help open the shop, today--?" Omi's voice was cut off as someone began talking to him in low tones from the hallway, as well.   
  
There was a muffled noise or two before it was Youji's turn to get Aya up. The playboy quickly began beating against the door with his fists, "Hey, Aya, you better get yourself up and help us open shop or your ass is grass!"  
  
The two boys in the hallway were surprised when the door opened to reveal a deliciously shirtless, disheveled looking, pissed off, glaring, Aya (Mmm... Not a bad sight, eh?). They froze; two collective gulps could be heard as they both turned and quickly headed towards the stairs.  
  
The redhead was about to close the door again, when Youji suddenly turned around to call, "And wake up Kenken, while you're up there!"  
  
Groaning slightly, and putting a hand to his forhead, Aya sighed and glared at the door three metres from his own. He ran his hand quickly through his hair, demolishing the tangles in his bright red strands, and staggered over to Ken's door. His conscious pounded dully within his head, a slight headache beginning, as he rapped upon the door the the ex-J-League player's room, "Wake up, Hidaka."  
  
From the other side of the door, the brunette responded... by not responding.  
  
Aya pounded a bit harder, "Ken! It's time to open shop; wake up!"  
  
Only the deafening sound of silence could penetrate the door to Ken's room. Then, suddenly--  
  
"He! He! He..." A small bout of giggling errupted from within Ken's stoney-silent room.  
  
Puzzled, the redhead, stood for a moment. "..Ken?"  
  
"Ho! Ho! Ho..." A morphed laugh drifted through the woodwork.  
  
"Ken?" The door was pushed open by the redhead, and Aya peered in at the brunett.  
  
"Guten Morgen alle! Ich heisse Nek und--Wilkommen...Aya! Ha ha!" Ken was rolling about his bed in a frenzy to gain enough momentum to roll onto the floor, while laughing to a strangely unusual extent. His face was red and streaming with tears of laughter, as he babbled some strange nonsense in a language Aya was unfamiliar with (Who knew Siberian was bilingual?), in the unmistakable voice of a gameshow host.  
  
There was something wrong here. There was something very wrong here, indeed. For a moment, Aya was speechless (...should this be an unusual thing?), "Ano... I'll be... right back." The redhead slammed the door closed, and headed directly down the stairs to the flower shop, whilst Omi was still in the kitchen, digging through the refridgerator for orange juice.  
  
The blond, averted his blue eyes to the red head, feeling his presence in the room, "Good morning, Aya! It's nice to see--"  
  
"I thought you said he's be back to normal by morning." The violet-eyed man got directly to the point.  
  
"Wha..?" Omi frowned, "Isn't he?"  
  
"Go see for yourself." With that, Aya climbed the stairs again, and entered his room to dress, as the blond followed behind, trailing up to Ken's door instead, though. What persued next was to traumatizing to capture in complete affect.  
  
  
  
"HE BIT ME! CAN YOU BELIEVE HE FRICKIN' BIT ME!?" The youngest Weiss member hadn't shut up for the last 30 minutes upon the subject. "I open the door, and there he is, like a dog, and he just jumps on my leg and begins to gnaw on my ankle! He's a cannibal! HE BIT ME!"  
  
Youji frowned, "Yea, well are you guys gonna get to the point of this meeting or not?"  
  
Weiss, minus one slightly stoned kitten, had settled into the missions room, delaying shop-opening that day, due to an emergency meeting. Though, they had been a bit slow getting it together, seeing as how Omi was easily distracted from the real topic at hand.  
  
"I say we drag him out into a field and shoot him! Blow his brains out! Rip out his entrails and feed 'em to the dogs!" The small blond cried, a fierce glint dancing within his unusually dark cerulean eyes. "That'll show him who to bite!"  
  
"Shut up, Omi." Aya quickly silenced the youngest Weiss with one of his Icy Aya Death Glares™. He turned to Youji, "Ken's high hasn't appeared to have worn off quite yet."  
  
Silence ensued for a following moment or two, followed by a deep chuckle on behalf of the eldest blond, "Well, damn." Youji smiled, the shrugged, "I guess there's nothing we can do about it right now, is there?" He glanced at the seething Omi, and the scowling Aya, "We'll just have to wait until tonight..." A dark smirk crossed his face, suddenly, "Then we can have some fun with him."  
  
Aya paused, glancing at Youji inquisitively, "What are you planning, Kudou?"  
  
The play boy assassin leaned back, adjusting his sunglasses, and propping his feet up, "You'll just have to suffer and see, tonight."  
  
From the shop, the loud crash flower pots falling over, and shattering, could be heard. There was then a slight moan, as if a person standing up, after being hit by a truck.  
  
"That is if he makes it to tonight." The redhead clenched his fists and shut his eyes, his anger already apparent.  
  
Omi gulped, "That is if -we- make it to tonight."  
  
  
9: 30 -- // Super Aya vs. The Kidney Thief \\  
  
"Ken... What are you doing?" The youngest blond watched his friend rearranged the many roses on display in the window. The ex-J-leaguer had been acting strangely, as expected, laughing hysterically at even the smallest things. Luckily, he had done a good job of scaring away the school girls earlier that morning. Now, Ken seemed to be in his own little world...  
  
The brunett chuckled and moved a few more of them around, looking rather dazed and laughing for no reason every once in a while. "I'm helping!"  
  
"They don't need rearranging, Ken... They all look the same." Omi pointed at the fact that all of the roses Ken was arranging were identicle red roses.  
  
"Yes, well, some of them were beginning to bicker."  
  
"...?" Youji tuned in from behind the counter.  
  
Suddenly, Ken held up two roses, and in a high falcetto voice, "'Aa! Stop that man! He just stole my kidney!'" He waved one rose as if it were talking to the one in the other hand, which he assigned a deeper voice, "'Never fear Sakura, Super Aya will save you! Where was your kidney when it was stolen?'" He began to wave the roses one at a time when their respective characters talked:  
  
Sakura, "Why, it was in my purse! Oh, Super Aya, you must save me! Save me!"  
  
Super Aya, "I shall return to you your kidney, safely, I promise!" Super Aya flies away, and Sakura disappears, being replaced by another rose, which he assigned a cracky sinister voice.  
  
In his own little world of illusion, and misconception, Ken paid no attention to those watching him, and especially didn't notice when Aya joined in to watch as well as Omi and Youji. All three were looking a bit worried, if not fearful at the brunette's actions.  
  
Kidney Thief, "Ha! Now that I have this kidney, I can rule the world! For, it is a magical kidney, and with it I may fulfill my one desire to... RULE THIS MAGICAL KIDNEY! MWA HA HA HA!"  
  
Super Aya, "Halt right there! I'm Super Aya, and I stand for love and justice. In the name of the moon, you're... gonna give me back that damn kidney!" At this point the two roses begin to fight. Unfortunately, Kidney Thief looses all of his petals, and Super Aya begans to look a bit bald, but in the end, Super Aya is successful, and returns to Sakura.  
  
Sakura, "Oh, Super Aya! You've saved my kidney! I love you, Super Aya! But now I must kill you, for you have touched my magical kidney, and will soon be filled with the lust for domination over my magical kidney! GAH!"   
  
Super Aya, "Ha! I shall go Super Sajin on you, and I will beat your ass! KA ME HA ME HA!!! Ha ha.."  
  
Again, both roses fight, this time neither is successful in winning, and Ken returns to rearranging the other roses (which he still claims are 'bickering') once more.  
  
Through all this, Aya kept a careful eye on Ken, watching the brunett's actions. Was this what people were really like when they got high? Did Ken have an ounce of realization as to what he was doing? Hopefully, this wouldn't get any weirder right?  
  
  
10:30 -- // I Am Sailor Nek! \\  
  
From the back corner of the shop, two green eyes peered out of the darkness. Someone had to stop this madness. Hearing a clutter from across the shop, near the counter, the eyes narrowed deviously, the brain behind them working up a plan.  
  
Suddenly, another pair of eyes appeared. This pair had shimmering blue irises, wider than saucers, and shook nervously. "Psst! What are we going to do about him, Yo-tan?"  
  
The green eyes widened as their owner sighed heavily, "I'm not sure."  
  
"We can't just let him continue like this! This is totally ruining our business! No one wants to buy flowers from stoners!" THe younger boy whined.  
  
"I know, I know... It should wear off after today, though. I mean... How long can one be high for, anyway?" Youji bit his lip, "Hey..." His eyes scanned around the shop, empty except for Ken, who was currently punching away at random buttons on the cash register, giddy with hysteria. "Where'd Aya go?"  
  
Both sets of eyes blinked simoultaneously and peered deeper into the shop, glancing around. The tall redhead was nowhere to be found.  
  
  
Ken squealed in delight as the tiny change drawer snapped open, and pushed it back in to play with the other buttons. He then glanced around him, suddenly silent. The shop was empty. The other tree boys had abandoned him. There was no one there to stop the flowers from bickering but him! He suddenly covered his ears hearing the loud fueds from the roses near the front of the shop, and then from the fresia displayed behind him. Then the gentians started up, and soon even the ficus were going at it!  
  
The brunett paused, his hands clamped down over his ears, and he looked around in panic. He had to do something! Though, what could he...? He suddenly snapped his fingers and eyed the flowers with a wild gleam in his eyes. He did not notice three sets of eyes watching him from around the shop.  
  
Running to the backroom, he grabbed a potting shovel, and raced back into the shop, to hear the bell ring from above the door. Something in Ken's mind was sure that the cause of this evil had been the cause of that ring. He dashed out of the small room, and thrust the tiny shovel out in a battle stance. "Hold it right there! I am Sailor Nek! And on behalf of your obnoxious ringing, I'm going to hidiously mutilate you! GAH!!!"   
  
Unfortunately, his target had somehow been refocused as the telephone. He crushed the plastic encased object, bashing the metal innards, tearing apart the chord, and brutally beating the buttons. "I'll teach you to steal my coffee, again! You flatulant donut fuckers!"  
  
"MOMMY! That man's scary! I wanna go home!" A tiny girl in blue, stood, staring wide-eyed and shocked at the brunett. Fortunately, her mother grabbed her hand and carried her out of the shop immediately.  
  
"To think that from a florist!?" The woman stormed out angrily with her child, the door banging shut behind them.  
  
"Come back again!" Ken called as they left.  
  
Suddenly, Aya appeared from the other side of a row of violets, his violet eyes were dangerously narrowed, "Ken. Leave." He pointed to the door leading from the shop to their living area upstairs.  
  
The brunett scratched his head looking confused, "Leave? Treeves have lees... er," he paused, "Trees have leaves!" The ex-JLeaguer was suddenly thrown into another fit of giggles, and didn't notice when Aya came up behind him, and violently pushed him out of the shop.  
  
Looking around wearily, Youji and Omi suddenly appeared from the darkness of the back corner, "Is it safe?"  
  
A mere glare from Aya settled the question, and they all went back to work (minus one siberian, that is).  
  
  
11:30 -- // "Someone help! My hand! What do I do about my hand?!" \\  
  
"Is it time for lunch yet?"  
  
"No! And it won't be for another hour, Yo-tan." Omi rolled his blue eyes, as he rang up a current customer.  
  
"Hey, chibi. You told me to remind you that you had to be somewhere today." The eldest blond spoke.  
  
"Nan ji desu?"  
  
"Juu ichi ji han desu." Youji paused what he was doing to stare at the youngest Weiss.   
  
"Oh, yea! Thanks for reminding me! I need to leave." The blond quickly untied his appron, and hung it on the wall.  
  
"Where are you supposed to go anyway?"   
  
"I have to meet my boyfri--er.." Omi paused, nervously, "I have to meet my poison-specialist!"  
  
Aya halted mid-step and eyed the youngest assassin accusingly.  
  
The eldest blinked, "Why do you need to see a poison specialist?"  
  
"Uh... For the... spider! In my room!" Blue eyes darted back and forth for a moment, "It bit me... while I was sleeping... And... Ugh! I don't feel so good! I better go get an antidote." With that, he was out the door.   
  
The shop was silent, when suddenly, there came a strange giggling from the back room. Aya sighed, and looked to Youji, "Go check on Ken. Make sure he hasn't killed anything... or eaten anyone..." He went back to sweeping.  
  
Walking slowly in fear of what was in the back room was only delaying the inevitable for Youji Kudo. When he reached the door, the giggling had turned into whining and the scraping of shoes against cement, as if someone where struggling. The blond tentively pushed open the door and peered in, to see...  
  
"My hand! My hand! It's stuck!" Ken groaned, both of his palms against the wall. It looked like he was trying to detach it.  
  
Youji rolled his eyes, "What have you..." He paused as he eyed the superglue bottle, lying open on the floor, "Damn, Ken." He looked up, "How the hell did THIS happen?"  
  
It was obvious, though, that Ken wasn't paying any attention, instead he was practically screaming for help, tugging on his hand, "Someone help! My hand! What do I do about my hand?!"  
  
By now Aya had shown up, "What happened?"  
  
"Einstein, here, glued himself to the wall--Ouch! Damnit, Ken!" The blond rubbed the back of his neck from where Ken had hit him.  
  
Two green eyes glared at him through locks of chocolate hair, "Shut up, Youji!"  
  
The lanky blond, set his weight on the other hip as he watched and shook his head, "Are you claiming that it was a very smart thing you did?"  
  
Aya frowned at the hand, and pulled a bit on one of Ken's fingers.  
  
"HOLY SHIT!!! DAMNIT, AYA, DON'T DO THAT!!!" The brunett clenched his teeth, "Fuck, it hurts!"  
  
The two other Weiss took this in with lifted eyebrows.  
  
"What colourful language, Kenken." The playboy teased, and walked towards to phone to call the medics. He paused, seeing the mound of dented plastic and wire that had once been their phone. "Jesus Christ, Ken. This is the last time you ever get high..." He went inside to use their phone instead.  
  
When his hand was removed, thirty minutes later, it was only by a trained medic, that it was done.  
  
  
12:00 -- // Arachniphobia \\  
  
Aya glanced at Ken, who was poking at his banaged and painful hand, "Do you have any idea why Omi would need to see a poison-specialist?" As soon as he had asked, he wondered why he had done so. Why would Ken know anything? Though, his instinct were telling him to ask.  
  
The brunett blinked, and sputtered into another fit of giggles, "Why?"  
  
With his arms crossed, Aya continued to stand, still and thinking, "He said he had to go about some spider--"  
  
"AAAAAAA!!!!" In no time at all, Ken was standing atop the kitchen table, looking around in a paranoid frenzy, "SPIDER!!! THERE'S A SPIDER!!!"  
  
The redhead blinked, and began to look around, "Where?"  
  
"I DON'T KNOW!!!"  
  
"Then why are you yelling?"  
  
"BECAUSE!!!"  
  
"Ken!"  
  
"THE SPIDER!!! I DON'T WANT TO DIE! I DON'T WANT TO DIE!!" [1]  
  
"Ken, get down!"  
  
"WHERE'S THE SPIDER!?!? KILL IT, AYA! MASH IT'S ARACHNID BRAINS INTO SOILED PIG MASS!!"  
  
"...?"  
  
"KILL IT, AYA!!! KILL IT NOW!!!"  
  
"KEN! SHUT UP!!!"  
  
"...?" The brunett, a top of the kitchen table watched Aya fearfully.   
  
The redhead, spoke through clenched teeth, "Get off the table. Now."  
  
"He he--" Ken climbed down obediantly, immediately losing his footing and falling to the floor in a lump. "Aa! Spider! We have to kill the spider!" In a moment Ken was gone, back out into the shop in fright.  
  
  
12:30 -- // Always give your children happy meals. If such is not done, the affects can be traumatizing. \\  
  
"Finally!" Youji watched as the clock struck 12:30, "I'm off, guys. I'll be back in an hour."  
  
Two green eyes watched the tall blond strut from the shop, off to take his lunch break, it was common sense to even the most stoned of all florist/assassins that when Youji said he would be back in an hour, the rest of that sentence was silent: "I'll be back in an hour... before I head out to the club." AKA, Ken and Aya were alone to run the shop for the rest of the day.  
  
Ken was still acting more clumbsy than usual, as was evident in his state, and he continued to be completely amused with some invisable issue, at which he laughed at from moment to moment. Finally, curiosity was sneaking up on the redhead, and he decided to ask.  
  
"What are you laughing at?" His voice was monotonious as ever, and his face held no clue as to his curiosity.  
  
The brunett stopped, mid-laugh, and thought about it for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not quite sure..."  
  
"Oh." Aya frowned.  
  
The soccer player immediately continued to laugh.  
  
"You never answered my question, Ken."  
  
He stopped again, "What question?" The grin on his face was one of uncontrollable laughter arising.  
  
"Do you know why Omi would need to see a poison specialist? And, before you do anything, there IS NO spider." Aya was watching him closely now.  
  
Ken flenched at the last word, and bit his lip, "I'm not allowed to say."  
  
The redhead tapped his foot impatiently and gave the brunett an intimidating stare.  
  
"You should be in a movie, Ran." Chocolate bangs fought to hide the peering green eyes staring up at the Weiss leader.  
  
Aya paused, and narrowed his eyes at the younger assassin, "What are you talking about?" He wanted to reach down and move the hair away for a clearer look into the jade gaze. Ken had always expressed things so clearly through his eyes, something that had made him unbelievably easy to read. Almost boring on poor Kenken's behalf. [2] 'Wait a minute... He called me Ran?'  
  
The younger boy began laughing again, "You have a pretty nose!" This time the laughter was harder, and the boy was almost rolling with it.  
  
Rolling his eyes, and deciding this was going nowhere, the redhead went back to his arrangement. It didn't look like he would be able to leave the shop up the Ken for lunch break, and Ken certainly wasn't going out by himself.  
  
"I wonder where they're eating at." Ken giggled and began to walk towards a row of gentians.  
  
Aya simply listened with one ear, making sure Ken stayed out of trouble, and began to trim some baby's breath to add volume to his arrangement.  
  
"If you were a Prodigy, where would you eat?" The soccer player began to giggle again, "I could just imagine Naoe Nagi and Tsukiyono Omi walking into McDonalds--"  
  
The redhead snapped to attention, "What did you say?"  
  
"--Oo! I bet he got a happy meal! He he! With the toy!" Ken frowned, "I never got happy meals when I was little--"  
  
"...!?"  
  
"--Aa, it's probably just some shitty Disney promo plastic. I hate the damn battles between all of these corporate leaders and who wants to set the best examples through maximum or moderate viewing in modern media using all these pathetic bribes like those stupid Land Before Time dinosaur action figures. Say, exactly how many sequals does that movie have? Twenty? Damn, that thing was lame to being with, but they just had to keep going, and going... Why is the energizer bunny pink? Is he the easter bunny, too? Why did I never get batteries for Easter, either--" [3]  
  
Aya's jaw was actually hanging at the brunett, who was now talking quite animatedly about batteries. Had he just said Naoe Nagi and Tsukiyono Omi? Together? (Who smells sex and a cheeseburger with the enemy?)  
  
"--Damn panasonic batteries work on EVERYTHING! I mean, if the TV ran on batteries, they would be panasonic batteries. Hey! We have a panasonic TV! I wish we had a SONY, though--!" Ken was suddenly shaken violently by the shoulders, and snapped out just intime to see Aya staring at him agape.  
  
"Omi went out to see Nagi?" The redhead's voice was cold and firm.  
  
Ken blinked, "I didn't say--"  
  
"Yes you did! I heard it." Aya's violet eyes had narrowed to slits, just daring the brunett to lie.  
  
"Oh... Um." He glanced around quickly, and began to laugh semi-nervously, he suddenly looked down, defeatedly, "Damn...man. I'm dizzy... If Omi asks... I didn't say anything." Ken stumbled off to the otherside of the shop, leaving the redhead to ponder over Omi's loyalty to Weiss.  
  
  
  
13:30 -- // He is a very sexy man. A very sexy man, indeed. \\  
  
Ken sat, behind the counter laughing at the windows (and calling them names) as Aya started on another arrangement. The brunett had tried to assist in arrangement-making earlier, but had been thoroughly unsucessful, now it seemed that he was amused to just watch the door. This musing was confirmed as the soccer player broke into another fit of giggles.  
  
The bell rang and Aya looked up to see a rather attractive girl of about 18 enter. She smiled and headed straight for Ken, before he could say a word.   
  
"Hi, there! I was hoping you could help me find some appropriate flowers to give to my imouto. Her birthday is today, and I was hoping to surprise her on the way home." She smiled, tucking a few strands of deep brown hair behind her left ear.  
  
Ken frowned at her, creasing his brow and thinking, he was quite obviously distracted by the girl, herself, as he kept his eyes thoroughly locked on her own brown eyes. A small blush also dotted colourfully at his cheeks. "Ano... I... Well... I... Er..." He stumbled over his words left and right, and slowly at that.  
  
Rolling his eyes, Aya stepped up, "Gomen ne, Hidaka-san is a bit detached at the moment--"  
  
"I've got it covered." The brunett broke in quickly, still not moving his eyes from the girl. He stepped around the counter, and the girl giggled slightly, following him across the shop.  
  
He turned to her, moving his eyes away, and speaking in a very falsly important voice, "So, ma'am, could you please tell me a bit about your imouto?"  
  
The girl smiled back at him, "Well..." She took a quick glance behind them over to where the redhead was working on his arrangement, seemingly paying them no attention. When she saw, she took the chance to take a step or two closer to the soccer play, "She likes... Yellow."   
  
Ken quirked a brow in his slow-conscious amusement, "Er... is that all?"  
  
The brown-haired girl reached up, brushing the bangs from Ken's eyes and trailed her hand softly down the side of his smooth face, "She also likes music... You know..." She brought her finger down his neck to trail down his chest slowly, "What all... little... girls like..." She licked her lips suggestively, peering up at him with her flashing brown eyes.  
  
A bit hesitantly, Ken laughed, and stole a nervous glance over at Aya, whom immediately looked back to his arrangement the moment the brunett turned to him. He looked back to the girl, who was almost pressing herself to him, now.  
  
"Um... Well..." His head felt fuzzy, and a bit heavy. He just wanted to fall down. Something was wrong with this, but what was it? She was attractive, and -very- friendly, "What about... um..." He reached to his side quickly, pulling up a small box of marigolds, "These! They're lovely, eh? She'll love them, I'm sure!"  
  
The girl frowned momentarily, glancing distractedly at the flowers, "They're orange, though...?"  
  
"Uh... Then I'll get you some yellow!" He began to turn away, but she quickly pulled him back by the arm, "Hold on, sexy." She giggled, and leaned against him, "I can wait all day for flowers... I need -you-, now."  
  
He took a deep breath and for once, he wasn't laughing. He watched the girl and narrowed his eyes a bit before pushing her away gently, "Gomen ne... I'm working, now."  
  
She simply shook her head and laughed, "Then take a break! You could surely take some time for a pretty girl, huh?" She looked up pleadingly, "C'mon, sexy. You know you want to."  
  
Ken shook his head quickly. This was wrong, very wrong. Sure, she was pretty, and he was on quite an impressive high, but he knew that something about it was wrong, "No. No, I don't."  
  
The girl took a step back, cocking her head at him, slightly. Aya's eyes watched un-noticed from the other side of the room. "Fine then... Another time, then." She smiled, but he still shook his head.  
  
"No. I'm just not interested." The soccer player seemed very serious, suddenly, and very sure of himself, as he said this.  
  
She watched him in silence for a moment, before he finally spoke again, crossing his arms, "Look, if you're going to be in here, I must ask you to either buy something, or get out."   
  
When he glanced back over at Aya, the redhead immediately went back to work, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes. Approval? Ken suddenly felt much lighter, that he had done something Aya deemed worthy of approval-- even if it was silent.  
  
  
14:30 -- // Unworthy of the Golden Arches \\  
  
"Hey... Imo!" Ken began to laugh almost hysterically, sinking to the floor behind the counter, where his laughs now only existed as background noise.  
  
Violet eyes went livid and narrowed at the teenage boy who had just entered the shop, "Bombay."  
  
Omi watched as Ken fell to the floor laughing with a look of dismay covering his large chibi face, then he turn to Aya... and froze. Had The Ice Prince suddenly gone Cold Bastard? Damn, he was getting tired of trying to keep up with the redhead's many multiple personalities... They were all so similar, anyway.  
  
"Er... Konnichiwa, Aya-kun...?" His hands trembled a bit, before he froze completely. His gaze drifted to the spot of the counter at which Ken had stood before falling the ground for a good... chuckle. He intook a sharp breath and turned back to the Weiss leader; he knew. Ken had told!  
  
"Meet me in the mission room in 10 minutes. We're closing early today." The redhead's voice was cold and sharp.  
  
"I can explain, Aya." Omi responded, slightly frightened.   
  
"Go. I'll be there in 10 minutes." Aya's tone was flat, and as expected, Omi left the shop to wait for Abyssinian in the missions room.  
  
Ken was suddenly gathering himself up from the floor, and examining his hand, "I think it hurts."  
  
An eloquent crimson eyebrow arched as the tall redhead turned to see Ken, "Think?"  
  
"What?" The brunett blinked.  
  
"It hurts?"  
  
"What does?"  
  
"I don't know?"  
  
"Then why are you complaining?" Ken glanced at the redhead inquisitively.  
  
"I'm not!" Aya snapped back.  
  
"Well, then why are we still having this discussion?!"  
  
"Because you keep asking me pointless questions!"  
  
"Well, then why are you still answering them!?"  
  
"Because you keep asking!"  
  
"Then I'll stop!"  
  
"You go right ahead and do that!"  
  
"Fine then I will!"  
  
"Ok, then!"  
  
"Alright!"  
  
"Yea!"  
  
"Exactly!"  
  
"Good."  
  
There was silence for a minute, before the brunette fell over laughing again, hitting his head for the second time on the way down.   
  
Aya simply glared at him, "Come on, Ken. We have to close up shop."  
  
The laughter stopped and there was a pause.  
  
"...Hey. Aya?" Ken pulled himself up, and watched the redhead, as he pulled down the grate infront of the store's entrance, closing the shop early.  
  
The redhead glanced at him, his signal to continue.  
  
"Did your parents ever take you to McDonalds when you were a kid? And did they get you happy meals?" It was quite obvious, the Ken hadn't clearly thought out that question before asking (oh, c'mon, he's stoned, what would you expect), and he was gesturing and watching the lump that used to be the phone as he spoke, paying absolutely no attention to the redhead to which he spoke.  
  
Aya paused, and shot the younger boy a glare, though it was futile since the brunette wasn't really paying him any attention. Sighing, he just stood for a moment and watched the brunett press away at the buttons on the register, and who then began giggling when the cash drawer popped out to hit him in the stomach. The older Weiss made no response, but simply watched the other for a moment, then continued closing up shop.  
  
All was still silent for the next seven minutes, until Aya came back out of the back room to find Ken laying face down in the potting soil, mumbling, "...fucking plants and the shit they bury themselves in. It's a fucking crime against our fucking society... Damn assholes trying to control our taxes and whip all the shitty assed fucks into some fucking form of order. Then they bitch about the environment and how we throw our fucking shit on the fucking ground and polute the already fucked up grass and trees, and OH THE FUCKING FLOWERS... Grr..."  
  
Throwing his hands up in the air, Aya let out a dull roar, "Gods, Ken! You are NEVER getting stoned again!"  
  
"Damn, you're animated today, Aya."  
  
"Damn, you're swearing alot today, Ken."  
  
  
15:30 -- // Soccer class?! Canceled!? Oh no! \\  
  
Ken frowned and looked up at the clock in the kitchen, noticing the time. Wasn't he supposed to be doing something? He frowned and scratched at his head, his eyes darting around the room for a clue as to what it was. The two ords of green finally set their gaze on the refridgerator, and he walked over to it. People always keep schedules and pointless stuff on the front of the refridgerator.  
  
Frowning at the disarrangement of word pieces scattered all over the fridge, he began to move them all over for a clear surface area on the front of the fridge. All of the word pieces were tiny magnets, bought in a few of those refridgerator-poetry kits. You were supposed to make poems on your refridgerator with them, but they used them for leaving messages. Feeling bit poetic (and completely forgetting about whatever it was he was supposed to be doing), Ken began to compose a poem.  
  
When he was satisfied, he sat down and watched it... Maybe it would move if he stared long enough? Maybe he could use the inhuman abilities of his super-human mind to make the little word pieces dance! He put all of his concentration into tying to move the pieces with his mind, but alas--  
  
"I can't believe you told, Ken!" Omi entered and crossed his arms, scowling at the brunett at the kitchen table.  
  
Blinking, Ken looked up to the blond teenager and cocked his head to the side, as if studying the youngest Weiss member, "What did I tell?"  
  
"About Nagi!" He growled, and darked his glare, "I trusted you, Ken!"  
  
For some odd reason, Ken couldn't comprehend this immediately, so he continued to watch the younger boy in confusion, "Trusted me with what?"  
  
"You lied, Ken. You lied to me! You said you'd keep it a secret and you went and told Aya all about--" Remembering, suddenly, that Ken was not currently himself, the blond sighed in frustration and anger, "Ya know what? Nevermind, Ken. Just NEVER MIND!" The boy stormed from the room, to his computer and slammed the door behind him.  
  
Frozen in his seat, the soccer-player looked to the floor, "I lied?" The room had turned so cold suddenly.  
  
Now it was Aya's turn to enter. The elder boy payed no attention to the brunett, and simply went about his daily routine of making tea. Finally, he noticed Ken's absence of giggles--his absence of activity, as well. He glanced behind him to see the boy in question staring at the floor, eyes stormy and unfocused.  
  
He watched as the boy lifted his head slightly, watching the words on the front of the refridgerator, and for that moment his face was a broken mask of depression and anger. In a simple movement, he had up and left the room, leaving nothing but the remaining sound of his chair scraping against the kitchen floor behind.  
  
Aya stood for a moment, considering over this, and preparing his tea. As he left the room, he stopped to read the fridge, and the poem Ken had written... [4]  
  
  
What we find in the brightest places  
Seems the darkest on our minds  
For if we all walked the earth without our faces  
The darkest place would be my mind  
  
Nek is now on sale for only the easy payment   
Of one human soul per lifetime down-payment  
Please place you order with the manager  
And thank you for shopping at the K o n e k o  
  
  
  
When he was done he stood for a moment, examining the words with a frown. It was a piece of symbollism too deep for even him to fully understand. Had Ken actually written this? Why would he choose to leave something like this open for just anyone to read? He frowned and reached for a piece of paper from the magnet notepad and the pen stuck ontop of it. Writing quickly, he copied the words down, and shoved them in his pants pocket. He wanted to read over it again later. He stared at the words for a moment longer, stopping only when he realised the phone was ringing. He paced over to the reciever and answered.  
  
"Moshi moshi."  
  
"Konnichiwa, this is Yamata Myako calling about Hidaka-san. Might I speak with him? Onegai." The voice answered.  
  
"Gomen, Yamata-san. Hidaka-san is very ill and cannot come to the phone right now. Shall I deliver a message?"  
  
"Hai. Tell him that his 15:30 soccer class has been dismissed this afternoon on account of his absence. I will need to speak with him when he returns. Would you happen to know when he will be well, sir?"  
  
"Iie, I cannot be certain, though, it might be another day at least. Hidaka-san is very ill."  
  
"Alright. Give him my wishes that he get well. Arigato."  
  
He hung up and placed the phone down. Something had to be done about Ken, soon. Aya had never been stoned, himself, but he was sure that this 'high' his teammate was on, should have definately worn off by now. It might be best to get in touch with Kritiker concerning the Brunett's current state.  
  
  
  
________________________  
  
To be continued...  
________________________  
  
  
Basic Japanese... (In case you got confused)  
  
Nan ji desu? -- What time is it?  
Juu ichi ji han desu. -- It is 11:30.  
Hai/Iie -- Yes/No  
Onegai -- Please  
Moshi moshi -- Greeting used when answering the telephone.  
Gomen -- Sorry/Excuse me  
Konnichiwa -- Good afternoon  
Arigato -- Thanks  
'-san', '-kun', '-chan', '-sama' - Name suffixes used for respect,  
'-san' being a unisex form of respect, '-kun' for younger males,  
'-chan' is for younger females, and '-sama' for figures of high  
importance and authority (aka Kami-sama).  
  
  
Author's Notes... (For background info)  
  
1] In all of my stories, Ken seems to be afraid of spiders...  
I'm not quite sure why I do this. It's in my fic 'Claustrophobia',  
as well. O_o Kenken's just got a big spider issue.  
  
2] I don't like the idea of Ken being boring, and most Ken-lovers  
dont, so don't get angry over this! It's a method of 'fore-  
shadowing', ha ha!  
  
3] I also have some sort of obssession with Ken ranting about  
justice and corporate fallacies and the problematic issues with  
modern society and how the government just outright sucks. It's  
kind of like my obssession with Wufei from Gundam Wing...  
  
4] Don't you just love refridgerator poetry? ^_^ I know that they  
don't usually contain the words that Ken's poem used, but it  
really dosen't matter. I love Ken having a deeper side; it's such  
an asset to his character... I wish I had some refridgerator  
poetry. 


	3. This just keeps going

Author's Note-- ( time ) I figured it was about time I actually finish something I start, so here I am. I also realised that I still have yet to get to the actual RanKen part in either of my Weiss chapter fics. So, you see! I knew I would update this. I just didn't know when. ^^;; This part isn't as humourous as the last two pieces, though. It should pick up again in the next (last) part, though.  
  
Word to the musically consumed-- This most of this chapter was written to the intoxicating sounds of AFI's "The Leaving Song Pt. II"  
  
Warnings-- Humourous use of drugs and their effects, Shounen ai (RanKen), OOC, Angst, Langauge, Silliness... Etc.  
  
Disclaimer-- I did own it, but sold it for the privilege to become a lifeless loser with no money. :)  
  
________________________  
  
An Eternal High 3/4  
  
By Seph Lorraine  
  
________________________  
  
Ken vanished around 15:45 that afternoon, and really had only been seen once since; lingering in the foyer and staring out through the window by the door. No one had really had anytime to check up on him for their own respective reasons. Youji, of course, was not to be seen-- out doing whatever it is that Youji does during his daylight hours. Omi, unsurprisingly, had angrily locked himself within his room and, like Ken, had yet to be seen. Aya was busy with other things, heading to a rendevouz point for a conference with Manx on the current "conditions" of the Koneko.  
  
Not to say that even Ken didn't feel like looking for himself as he sat on the rooftop, arms propped up against the ledge and staring down into the alley between their building and the one beside it. He didn't feel like going inside, despite the cold droplets of rain that was beginning to fall. He just wanted to breathe. Even if it chilled his lungs to a dull pain, he just wanted to breathe.  
  
Why was he suddenly feeling like the sky was just trying to swallow him? Waiting until he was carefully unaware of its being to then sink down to the earth, and suck him up to freeze in the bowels of space or burn on the shield of the atmosphere. Then just as he was fearing the hungry sky, the alley he now looked down on would bite down onto his legs, jerking him downwards to the soggy contents of it's narrow cavern, and into the pits of the cold, hard Earth. [1] Either way, they wouldn't allow him to stay where he was.  
  
The brunett gripped the ledge harder and shut his eyes. He didn't want to go inside, though. He couldn't breathe inside. Even if he caught cold, or if the sky or alley pulled him away from his spot on the roof, at least he could breathe.  
  
He just wanted to breathe.  
  
18:00 -- // Something Must Be Done \\  
  
"Manx." Aya approached the patiently waiting woman standing only a few metres away from the deserted swing set in the park. The rain was falling quite fully now, small 'ping's resounding as thousands of tiny droplets began to ricochet from the metal bars of the swing set.  
  
"Abyssinian." The redheaded woman, in turn, acknowledged. "I hope you don't mind if we move this to the gazebo. I have some rather important things to attend to this evening and I don't feel like re-drying my hair."  
  
Aya resisted rolling his eyes and followed her along the small pathway up to a deserted white gazebo. Where they each took a seat to continue their conference.  
  
"We have been looking in on Siberian's recent condition this afternoon--" The woman began, but found herself quickly cut off.  
  
"As far as my knowledge goes, you haven't yet been informed--"  
  
"We have been informed. We noticed a mentioning of it in Bombay's mission report last night, when it was sent in, and rather early this afternoon-- a bit after four-- when Bombay sent us a further invoice relating Siberian's condition. Though one thing that happened to illude us, was that in his message he also included a sort of apology, but it was so choppy and awkward we're not quite certain what it was about--"  
  
Aya let out a low growl from the back of his neck. Omi had obviously known that Aya would be informing Kritiker on a particular relationship of his, and had seen to it to make an aforementioned apology of sorts. Tsk! Kids these days...  
  
Manx raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I've been meaning to talk to you about that, too."  
  
"Obviously." She crossed her arms and leaned back against the bench.  
  
"..."  
  
"Well, would you care to enlighten me?"  
  
"First, about Ken--"  
  
"Kritiker has a group working exactly on that issue as we speak. They're hoping to uncover an antidote before things get worse--"  
  
"Get worse?"  
  
"Must you always interrupt?!" She snapped.  
  
"What do you mean 'before things get worse'?!" He growled, ignoring her previous inquiry.  
  
Manx opened her mouth to reply, but paused before any words could leave her lips. Her eyes peered at Aya thoughtfully before she began, "Surely you are aware of the already awkward mentality of Siberian while on this drug. Our scientists happened to have looked into one of your previous missions involving a maker of these kinds of drugs. We managed to scrape together some samples of the product and began research immediately. After only a bit of study, we have made some remarkable discoveries. Too much time under the influence of this 'drug' he's on, and it could have some seriously damaging effects. He might as well become the Berserker of Weiss--"  
  
"What?!" The word had left his mouth before he had even had time to think.  
  
"Knowing Siberian and piecing him together with the effects of this drug, it is bound to have seriously decreased his inhibitions and abilities. I've heard about the sort of things he's been up to-- gluing his hand to a -wall-?! Talking to inanimate objects as if in normality! Think of the damage he would do on missions! He's no good to us this way--"  
  
"He's no 'good to you'?! What is that supposed to--"  
  
"Fujimiya, I did -not- mean it like that!"  
  
"What do you mean by 'effects', then?" Aya's arms were crossed and his gaze was like ice.  
  
Manx sighed and leaned forward, "I mean, that the effects of this drug could be permenant if an antidote is not received soon. If he remains like this and the antidote dosen't work, he'll have to be elliminated."  
  
There was a moment of silence between them, the sound of the rain-- now pounding-- seemed to only add to the meaning of the words as they sunk in. When the redheaded assassin spoke his tone was low, "Then they had better work fast." He turned, walking out of the small gazebo and into the pouring rain.  
  
"Abyssinian!" The woman was standing now, watching him with inquiring eyes, "You forgot to mention about Bombay's--"  
  
"It's nothing. It's already been taken care of anyway."   
  
He cut his way quickly along the path, in the pouring rain. In fact, he had hardly taken notice of the presence that now pounded so loudly around him. His disheveled crimson hair was soaked and hung flat against his scalp, his bangs falling into his eyes in the way it always did when it was drenched. He continued with his quickened pace on through the park until he reached the street, where the reality of what was going on seemed to hit him and cover him, like the rain was so readily doing, already.  
  
It wasn't a far way back to the Koneko, but what was the use of hurrying when he was already soaked, he figured. He needed some time to think, anyway. He cut off in a way opposite the Koneko, slowing his strides to a steady, thoughtful pace, drifting through the street like a phantom, undisturbed by the falling rain.  
  
The situation finally appeared to be much more serious than they had originally thought. If Ken was unable to be cured of his un-ending high, he would have to be elliminated-- and it would be at Weiss's hands, no doubt. Sure, the mission to anyone else might seem easy enough. He lived with them, ate with them, worked with them-- not quite sure about "slept with them"--, so there was hardly any real physical difficulty in it.  
  
Though, truthfully, none of them were ready for a mission like that.  
  
Not even Aya.  
  
Especially not Aya.  
  
'If he must be elliminated, it will not be at my hands.' His mind bristled at the thought of how that would look, were it -he- that was assigned the actual killing of Ken. His feet, where they had been walking had come to an abrupt stop. What was wrong with this? He was actually lamenting over the death of Hidaka Ken-- the one man whom he had insisted was a burden upon the very earth since he had met him.  
  
A coy smirk seemed to ghost across his lips, 'It's always odd how we end up.'  
  
Who was he really trying to fool? Sure, he remembered when he had really thought the brunett to be that annoying, but he couldn't say that he still felt that way anymore. He sighed, running a pale hand through his soaking wet hair. People change, obviously, but lately it was so hard to figure out whether it was he or Ken that had really changed. Where had Ken stopped being just 'annoying Hidaka'? Or had he ever stopped? Maybe Ken had always stayed the same and Aya, instead, had done the changing?  
  
It was now that he noticed how heavy his wet layers of clothes were upon his body. His knees were almost bending beneath the weight of the jacket, sweater, and slacks. He began to walk again, circling the present block and finally nearing the Koneko.  
  
Who was he to refuse having anything to do with Ken's ellimination? He was merely there to take orders, it seemed, so why did he feel so prone to out-right refusal upon such a mission-- were he to receive it? Somehow, it was obvious, this was Ken's fault. He had obviously done something to Aya, that had gone unnoticed, and because of it now the redhead had become indecisive about the younger man.  
  
He was now quickly approaching the alley, through which was the side door into the kitchens.  
  
He didn't know exactly what he felt for the other man anymore. What was once something similarly marked as hate upon their first meeting, had slowly changed into something even he failed to recognise. The question was, what was it? And that he didn't know.  
  
He was now only steps away from the door, unaware of a pair of green eyes that watched him frightenedly from the roof of the building for which he was directed.  
  
Whatever it was, though, it was a nice feeling. A sort of light feeling that tickles the skin and enthralls the senses, and buries itself in a cacoon within one's stomach. Though as this slowly stirred within Aya, his calmer, more rational self retaliated with common sense. If he were to receive a mission such as the ellimination of Siberian, and he was not to follow through with it, that meant that he had allowed himself, as well as Ken, to become a threat to the mission. That had been what he was trying to avoid, originally, and why he had so tried to distance himself from the other members of Weiss. But it hadn't worked.  
  
And he really couldn't find it in him to care.  
  
He took the last step to the door in one giant bound, flung open the door with little less than exaggerated drama, and entered the Koneko-- barely resisting a loud shout of, "HONEY! I'M HOME!" [2]  
  
And though his clothes were soaked and heavy against his body, he felt lighter than the clouds.  
  
On the roof, looking down into the alley, and seeing Aya practically dance into the Koneko, Ken breathed a sigh of relief. The brunett ran a shaky hand through his hair and smiled. He was so happy that the alley hadn't eaten Aya.  
  
23:30 -- // Up On The Roof Top (click, click, click) Down Through The Staircase With Good St. -Nek- //  
  
Aya opened the door to the computer room swiftly without a knock and regarded the stunned chibi with a cold gaze, "I can't find Ken."  
  
"Hn. Maybe he left." Omi shrugged his face was perfectly calm, though his normally sparkling blue eyes held a peculiar combination of apathy and anger-- bearing and uncanny resemblence to the Prodigy, himself.  
  
"Would you have any ideas as to where he could be?" The redhead continued to watch the youngest Weiss through cold violet eyes.  
  
"No." The blond practically spit and returned his gaze to the computer.  
  
Standing in the doorway, Aya sighed and closed his eyes for a moment before he began, "I didn't tell Manx."  
  
Blue eyes widened considerably and in less than a second he had turned in his chair to face his leader, attention rapt and solely focusing on the frigid man before him. He watched the man closlely, unsure of whether this was a factitious Abyssinian that stood before him or not, "You... didn't?"  
  
Aya shook his head, his expression grave as he opened his eyes to watch the chibi, "I was too distracted."  
  
The hopeful glimmer in Omi's eyes vanished, "Oh."  
  
"But..." The redhead began again, crossing his arms over his chest, the frown still etched over his face, "After thinking on... things..." He paused, a look of annoyance tinging his already grim expression. It was obvious he wasn't used to doing these kinds of things, "I have decided not to bring it up at all."  
  
"What...?" Blue eyes had become even larger, a look of utmost surprise crossed Omi's pale features, "You mean... But..." He drifted off, unable to assemble the words to what he wished to say.  
  
"I know this is probably the worst mistake I could make, but I have chosen to turn a blind eye to your relations." He dropped his arms loosely to his sides, his serious expression showed slight uncertainty. "I know you're not the child we see you as, and therefore the responsibility is yours." At this his eyes narrowed, "It's your decision whether to continue with these 'affairs' or not, and the risk they run against all of Weiss. I will not be involved."  
  
In a flash the youngest Weiss had raised from his chair and gripped his leader into a large hug, "I don't know how to thank you, Aya kun! I'm in your debt--"  
  
The redhead wriggled uncomfortably in the blond's grasp trying subtly to remove the wiry arms that had managed to clamp around him, "No. As far as the situation is considered, I know nothing of it."  
  
Omi nodded and stepped back, removing his arms from the uncomfortable looking redhead. His smile was wide as he reseated himself in the chair, "What inspired this change?"  
  
Aya's eyes were hollow, he suddenly appeared tired, "Kritiker's working on an antidote for Ken."  
  
"Yea?" His smile decreased significantly in vibrance, "So Ken kun will be back to his old self, soon?"  
  
The redhead shrugged, suddenly unwilling to continue.  
  
"... Aya kun?" The smile had vanished, "What is that supposed to mean?" There was a pause, "You shrugged, Aya. Aya, you shrugged!! How could you -shrugg- at something like this?!"  
  
"I'm aware of what I did, Tsukiyono." The leader snapped.  
  
"AYA KUN!" The blond was practically yelling, "A shrugg is NOT a good sign!"  
  
"I -know-, that." The violet-eyed man growled.  
  
There was silence for a few moments before the blond spoke again, and even then it was only a reluctant whisper, "Oh no..."  
  
Aya didn't speak and managed only to prepare to turn and exit.  
  
"Wait, Aya... I remember Youji saying something about this evening--"  
  
"Youji's out alone, I've called him. He was going to take Ken to a club in his condition-- thought it would be amusing." He snorted disdainfully, his face disgusted, "He couldn't find him, either." [3]  
  
THUMP  
  
Omi banged his head against the desk infront of him, "Oh man, this is my fault."  
  
A crimson eyebrow raised eloquently in question.  
  
The blond sighed, "I kind of got angry with him for telling you about--"  
  
"Aa." Aya nodded and began to leave, as if that explained everything.  
  
"But, Aya! Where are you going?! We have to find him!" The blond followed out of the room and into the hallway behind the redhead.  
  
"Go back to what you were doing. I know where he is." He picked up his jacket in the kitchen and prepared to climb up to the roof. He had spent more than enough time with Ken to figure out the few patterns the brunett did have. When Ken was upset he went either to the soccerfield or the roof.  
  
In his current state though, it was doubtful that he would even be able to find the soccerfield.  
  
As he had expected, the brunett was on the roof, sprawled out lazily near the ledge and soaked from the rain. Though, unexpectedly, he was quite soundly asleep when Aya reached him. The redhead stood over him for a moment, watching uncertainly as the sleeping man twitched every few minutes and mumbled something about nachos.  
  
"...Nacho cheese... not your cheese... Heh heh..." There was a soft snort from the brunett.  
  
Aya frowned.  
  
The sleeping man continued to mumble in his sleep and giggle to himself for a few more moments until the redhead actually knelt down beside him and gave him a sharp nudge at the shoulder. Green eyes snapped open in an instant and began to scan around quickly in less than a moment they locked on the dark sky, looming above them.  
  
"Eep!" A muffled cry from the brunett before he latched onto Aya's arm, his face contorted in fear, "It's big, Aya! Really big!"  
  
The leader lifted an eyebrow.  
  
"How can you just sit there?! You have to go before it gets -both- of us!" Green eyes were panicked as the brunett sat up and began physically pushing on the redhead to leave, "Go quick! Back inside!"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?" Aya snapped sharply, narrowing his glare at the other man.  
  
Ken did not answer, instead looking up at the vast black sky and standing. He reached down and grabbed Aya's hand and began pulling him towards the door that led up to the roof, "Are you coming or not?"  
  
Growling, the redhead allowed himself to be dragged through the door and onto the staircase, where Ken froze rigidly.  
  
The brunett froze, grasping at his neck and quickly pushed past a very confused Aya to get back outside, "Can't... breathe! Ack!"  
  
The leader was sure he was about to blow a fuse as he started up after Ken, again, "What are you doing?"  
  
"I can't breathe in there!" The brunett panted, his index finger pointing accusingly at the innocent staircase door.  
  
"Why not?" Aya frowned, it was obviously getting worse.  
  
"I don't know! I just can't!" Ken shrugged, watching his feet with a frown, "I want to go inside, but it's suffocating me in there."  
  
The redhead shook his head, "Don't be like that. You can breathe fine in there, it's just that drug you're on. It's making you -think- that you can't. Now, come in--" But Ken had already reseated himself and looked perfectly content just to sit there for the rest of the night.  
  
Green eyes looked up at their leader and smiled, "I'm really fucked up, aren't I?"  
  
Sighing, Aya walked over slowly to sit beside the other man, drawing up his legs. He was silent for a moment before nodding, "Hai. You're pretty... 'fucked up'."  
  
There was a snigger from the brunett, "Did you just say I was pretty? Or fucked up?"  
  
"Hn." There was a pause, "I saw your poem."  
  
"...What poem?" Ken sounded confused.  
  
"The one you wrote with the magnets."  
  
"I wrote a poem?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"What was it about?"  
  
"...I'm not quite sure. It was complicated. I copied it down and put it in my pocket, but I'm pretty sure the rain ruined it."  
  
"Was it good?"  
  
"Probably. I just didn't understand it."  
  
"Good."  
  
The redhead raised an eyebrow and regarded the younger man with interest.  
  
"Aya?"  
  
"Hn?"  
  
"What are you doing up here?"  
  
"...Looking for you."  
  
"Why?" Green eyes watched their companion keenly.  
  
"Because it's late, and you should be inside--"  
  
"But I can't go inside--"  
  
"I know.  
  
"... Then why are you still here?"  
  
Aya sighed, "Why are you acting so sane suddenly?"  
  
"...I don't know." He glanced away for a moment, "You have a calming presence."  
  
Ignoring the comment, the redhead continued, voice still quiet, "Are you even aware of how you've been acting lately?"  
  
"...I am. I've been acting like a fucking lunatic." This was followed by a badly surpressed giggle.  
  
The violet-eyed man nodded, not quite sure what to think of this, "If you know what you're doing, then why do you continue to do it?"  
  
Ken shrugged, "I said I know what I'm doing, not that I can help whether I do it or not. I just do whatever I think to do."  
  
Aya watched him for a moment, frowning, "And your mind told you to wreck our phone?"  
  
"Did I do that?"  
  
The leader quietly tried to piece this together: Ken was doing whatever his mind told him to do, yet he was aware he was doing, even if he couldn't control it. Then he couldn't remember doing it once it was done? Wow, that was strangely complicated.  
  
"Ken, do you remember anything you've done so far?"  
  
"Wasn't there a really big spider around earlier?"  
  
Aya groaned and resisted rolling his eyes, "No."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Hn."  
  
"I remember that..." He took a moment to think, "...Omi hates me, now?"  
  
"No, he dosen't. I just talked to him."  
  
"Did he -say- he didn't hate me?"  
  
"Did he ever -say- that he hated you?"  
  
"...He didn't have to."  
  
"He was just upset. He acted irrationally, and I assure you he didn't mean it."  
  
The brunett was silent, his gaze trained somewhere on Aya's face. He gave no sign of even hearing the redhead.  
  
"Has anyone ever told you that you have a pretty nose?"  
  
Aya's eyebrow was getting tired, but it lifted again anyway due to present amusement. "You did, earlier."  
  
"Oh." The brunett snorted and began to laugh.  
  
Unable to resist, the Weiss leader rolled his eyes, "Hn."  
  
After a moment's laughter Ken spoke again, "I like this."  
  
"Hn?"   
  
"You started talking to me. Now, I want to talk to you." Two greens eyes were now trained very seriously upon Aya's own violets.  
  
"About what?" Ken's gaze suddenly made him uncomfortable, and he moved his eyes to stare elsewhere.   
  
"No idea, really. I just like talking to you."  
  
"..."  
  
"Except when you do that."  
  
"...?"  
  
"Dammit, Ran, stop that!"   
  
There was a pause as Aya frowned. There was that name, again. "Why did you call me that?"  
  
"Why did I call you what?"  
  
"Ran."  
  
"Did I?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Hm. Make of it what you will. A wise man hears not all, but what he does, he hears in all ways."  
  
There was silence for a moment before Ken began giggling again, "Oo! I am Buddha!"  
  
"No, you are not."  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"No-- I am not going to argue whether you're God or not."  
  
"You believe I am not God?"  
  
"No."  
  
"You're right, I am not God."  
  
"...?"  
  
"You are!" More giggling.  
  
"...Right."  
  
"Do you believe in God?"  
  
"...Not really."  
  
"Me neither. Kase always said, 'God is a clutch for the weak who cannot face life on their own'." The brunett sighed, as if not even realising what he said.  
  
Aya froze, his eyes trained carefully on the other man. He had never heard him speak so openly of his traitor. Omi had asked him a question on the subject once, but had only been ignored as the brunett excused himself--- probably to sulk.  
  
"And..." He began quietly, "You don't believe in God because of him?"  
  
The brunett scowled and snapped back, as if suddenly realising their topic of conversation, "I'll choose what I believe in and what I don't on my own!"  
  
There was a hesitant nod from the redhead and all fell silent again.  
  
"Aya?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
"I'm going to tell you something very important, now."  
  
"..." He was silent. This would probably be another outrageous exclaimation, like earlier. He's already claimed to be God, what else is left? Did he invent breathing or something?  
  
"Are you listening?"  
  
"Yes, Ken. I am listening." The entire sentence came out as a long sigh.  
  
"No, you're not."  
  
"Yes, I am."  
  
"You're just waiting for me to say something stupid."  
  
"..."  
  
"I am not about to say something stupid."  
  
"Then say it."  
  
"You're a good person, Aya."  
  
"..."  
  
"That wasn't a stupid thing to say."  
  
"I would probably ask if you were high about now, but I am unfortunately already assured..."  
  
"I wasn't lying, damnit! You're a good person."  
  
"Oh, really?"  
  
"Yes, really. You mope around all the time like your soul has been sucked out of your ear, sure, you're as bitchy as if you had a stick shoved up your ass, sure, you are rude to all the girls who come in to our shop, sure, you probably think I'm stupid, sure-- but I think you're even more stupid than me. And on top of all that, you're a good person."  
  
"Ken, you need sleep."  
  
"That has two alternate meanings. Both of them are true."  
  
"You're kind of sounding like Youji, now."  
  
"Would Youji call you a good person?"  
  
"No, but you wouldn't either."  
  
"Well what would Nek say?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Well?"  
  
"...'I like soccer'."  
  
"... Is that the best you can do?"  
  
"..."  
  
"I can do you: '...'"  
  
"..."  
  
"I can do more: ..."  
  
"Er, that's alright."  
  
"It's times like these, on a deserted roof-top, after it's rained, when I'm high, and you think I'm stupid, that I really think I love you."  
  
Aya froze. Every muscle in his body locked into place, unwilling him to move. Was this a joke of some kind? He felt himself wanting to ask, but somehow he couldn't move his jaw to bring out the words.  
  
"Mm-hm. That's strange." Ken looked unfazed as if he had just made a comment on any little thing in the universe. His tone was no different than: 'Hey, there's a fly on that piece of bread. Why are flies so fast?'  
  
"I think you've been out of it just a bit too long." The redhead's voice was quiet, almost as if he didn't want to say it.  
  
"Yea, I have. But I do, anyway." The brunett shrugged and glanced at the door, "Someone's listening to us."  
  
On instinct, Aya was on his feet in less than a second, facing the door as it opened to reveal a somewhat nervous Omi. The blond bit his lip, glancing from Aya to Ken then to his feet, "I've been looking for you guys for about ten minutes. Manx told me I'd find you here. They have the antidote."  
  
The redhead nodded and Ken quirked his head in a confused manner.  
  
"Come, Ken. We're going to fix you." He started towards the door but then noticed that the brunett would go no further. He sighed. 'Not this, again...'  
  
"I can't go in there!" The ex-soccer player yelped as Aya quickly grabbed hold of his arm. He motioned to Omi, who grabbed the other and they began dragging the struggling Siberian to the staircase. "But I can't breathe in here!"  
  
"Yes you can, Ken! Now, shut up and calm down!"  
  
There was a choking sound from the brunett, as he was pulled reluctantly down the staircase, "No... I can't...!"  
  
"Don't listen to your mind, Ken. Listen to me." Aya's voice was calm and spoke softly, his warm breath brushing gently against his ear. 'Don't doubt me, Ken. Trust me.' [4]  
  
He nodded, ignoring the black spots that were now eating way at his vision, he opened his mouth to inhale, but he suddenly couldn't. His head felt so light and all he was aware of was two arms had just lifted him up against a warm body, and began to carry him down the stairs. It smelled like Aya.  
  
He hoped it was.  
  
________________________  
  
To be continued...  
  
________________________  
  
Author's Notes... (For background info)  
  
1] This is all relevant to what is known as a "bad trip". If you know anything about drug termanology, it's basically when someone gets  
  
high/stoned and start to have some negative mental displacements during the course of the drug's stimulation. Often people can become convinced that you're trying to kill them, that the sky is about to fall and crush them, that there are bugs crawling all over their body, etc. I knew a girl one time who nearly died after going on a bad trip. At one point she said that she was convinced there was a wasp inside of her ear trying to get out and it kept stinging her.  
  
Ken's not necessarily on a bad trip, here, but certain happenings are beginning to take his mentalilty a bit off track, and the results, thus... In this you see Ken's afraid that the world wants to swallow him, or tear him apart, and he feel's like the building is trying to suffocate him. This is actually meant bi-literal. What he feels is his literal thoughts, but they're paralleled by a rather obvious symbolic meaning that I won't bore you by exaggerating any further than that.  
  
2] Even Aya is a prima donna at heart. *_*  
  
3] If you read the 2nd part you'll notice Youji mentions doing something with Ken "tonight", since he was all crazy and whatnot. Due to my bad habbits of abandoning my fanfics just as they get interesting, though, the funny club scene will have to be omitted. This is my bad cover for it. Psch! I know, I know, I suck. Club scenes are over-rated, anyway.  
  
4] Okkei, if you go back and read what Ken says right before he claims to be Buddha, you'll get this. :P It's stupid, I know. I should be shot. 


	4. This is the end

Author's Note-- ( 2:48 PM 5/23/2004 ) Wow. Long time no update. Eh heh... Sorry. (Note to self: Stop calling Ken 'the brunett'.) Be warned, though, the writing style is a bit different from the last three parts. This one is kind of the "serious" one. Not very pleased with it. Psch!  
  
Un-beta'd, as always.  
  
Word to the musically consumed-- This most of this chapter was written to the intoxicating sounds of Incubus "I Miss You".  
  
Warnings-- Shounen ai (RanKen), OOC, Silliness... Etc. (There's also a badly written 80's music joke in here, that if you don't get it, it's not my fault.)

--  
  
An Eternal High 4/4  
  
By Seph Lorraine

--  
  
10:36 -- Catchin' Some Z's and Selling Them To "Wheel of Fortune" Disguised As Vowels   
  
Aya sighed into his pillow as he rolled to face the wall. He shut his eyes tightly to block out of the sun's blinding glare through the opened window at the other end of the room. He was tired, unfocused, and even a bit stressed.   
  
He cursed himself for forgetting to shut the window when he went to bed.  
  
The Koneko no Sumu Ie and the tidy living area on the floors above were silent, a good thing, as far as the redhead was concerned, yet also a vague sign that was beginning to worry him about other things. Ken had never been a quiet person-- even when sleeping[1], and his wakeful racket was enough to wake Beethoven from the grave. Yet the redhead still couldn't bring himself to get up, to close the window or check on his noisy team-mate.  
  
Last night had been long and tiring, and his sleep had been much deserved. Violet eyes fluttered open for a moment, then clenched shut remembering it.  
  
--  
  
Ken had passed out and now hung limply in Aya's arms. Omi and Aya continued down the stairs, through the house, the shop, and down into the 'mission room', where they laid the ex-soccer player carefully on the couch. Two men had accompanied Manx to the Koneko, both dressed sharply in black business suits and sunglasses; identity precautions, no doubt (who else besides Youji and Corey Hart would wear sunglasses at night?).  
  
The redhead paused as he stood straight and faced Manx and her two men, he and Omi still standing in the way of their downed teammate, "You've found the antidote?"  
  
The first man, taller with slicked back black hair, and a stiff nose nodded, "Our research investigators examined details, found samples, and carefully put together an antidote that should be able to restore Siberian to normalcy."  
  
"It may have side-affects." The second, slightly shorter and bald began where the first left off, "He may become fairly weak for a while, moody, over aggressive, 'spacy', and even contract mild illness-- such as fever, chills, or nausea." He stopped, sounding perfectly like a Zoloft commercial on the telly.  
  
The first began again, almost as if they had rehearsed this, "Our largest concerns are affects on his memory. There are chances that he will forget this entire episode. It shouldn't be anything too serious, though it might confuse him a bit."  
  
The other nodded, apparently with nothing more to add.  
  
Omi and Ran blinked.  
  
"Now, if you'll please move aside, gentlemen, we need to wake him. He can't take the shot while he's in this state." Ran hesitated for a moment before moving and pulling a wide-eyed Omi out of the way, as well.  
  
"What!?" The blonde frowned, "You're giving him an injection!?"  
  
Manx looked sympathetically at the younger boy, "We don't have much time, Bombay. The antidote needs to start working as soon and as quickly as possible."  
  
Nodding uncertainly, the younger weiss watched as the bald man removed a small tube of smelling salts and placed it under his friend's nose.   
  
Upon breathing in, Ken's eyelids began to twitch and his body jerked. Green eyes snapped open and glanced about panickedly, before beginning to inhale deeply, "Ack! Ran, I can't breathe!" There was heavy coughing as the brunett began to thrash around, nearly falling off the couch, before being grabbed and restrained by the two men in suits.  
  
Manx raised an eyebrow at the unusually attentive redhead to her right, "Ran?"  
  
He managed a narrow violet-eyed glare at her before glancing at the blond standing between them (whom was way too focused on the two men restraining his best friend to possibly have questions about the name), and the he turned back to what was happening.  
  
The two men pinned the nearly psychotic brunett in a sitting position, each holding down a leg and an arm. The taller one nodded to Manx whom quickly opened a brown briefcase laying on the coffee table, and removed a syringe filled with a thin lime-green fluid. She strode forward and handed it to him.  
  
The man with slicked back hair quickly pulled the casing off the needle with his teeth-- causing both Aya and Omi to wince at the uncouthness of such badly violated medical procedure--, and applied a small amount of pressure. Upon seeing the small spurt of liquid from the tip of the needle, he nodded to the other, and they both increased the amount of force they were using to hold the brunett down (as Ken sat, pinned and hyperventalating beneath the amazing force of both of them).  
  
Without a moment's notice he grabbed tye back of Ken's neck, jerking his head down into a bowing position and injecting the needle into the base of his neck, releasing the green liquid. There was a piercing scream from the brunett as all his veins seem to alight with fire, and his entire body began to throb with a pulsating pain. He squeezed his green eyes shut tightly, feeling as if all of his blood were being secreted through the pours of his body and replaced by liquid flames. Everything was painful. The breathing of the two men holding him down seemed to deafen him, and the smell of his own sweat as faught wildly for release seemed to prickle within his olfactory sensors.   
  
Then there was that feeling of dull throbbing between his eyes. A growing pressure, that begged to be released, and though it felt familiar he had not the mind to identify it. It hurt to think.  
  
Suddenly he stopped fighting. It was useless. As he sat, his head hanging lifelessly, silent, the two men slowly released their hold on him, finally completely letting go. Everyone in the room seemed to take a step back, except that lone violet aura near the wall, that almost seemed to step forward. The pain was maddening, and dull throb around his eyes seemed to ache even more. He clenched his teeth together.  
  
And then he began to cry.  
  
A minute seemed to pass before Manx and her lackies had excused themselves (the redheaded woman casting a knowing look at Aya as she mounted the stairs back to the shop and insisting that Omi go upstairs and go to sleep). The blond had school the next morning, and though it had taken some brief convincing, and an unusually Aya-like glare from the woman, the blond had finally followed them up-- casting one lingering glance back at his best friend.   
  
Aya was still until the blond was past the stairs, and them he carefully approached the brunett, whom seemed not to notice him at all.  
  
Ken simply sat there, his face hidden beneath lockes a touseled brown hair, a tear falling against his shirt. His breathing seemed to be regulating itself back to normalcy, and he seemed to be calming. He did not look up at the other man standing above him.  
  
For a moment, he pondering what to do. Slowly he extended his hand, resting it lightly on the brunett's shoulder. The younger man seemed to freeze, his muscles tensing automatically as he drew in a shaky breath. He looked up to meet Aya's unusually softer eyes and seemed to relax instantly.  
  
"Can you walk?" Aya spoke quietly.  
  
The brunett gave no response, just hiding his face again beneath his mess of hair.  
  
"Do I need to carry you?" His voice never rose, still quiet.  
  
This time the brunett shook his head, hesitantly shrugging off the hand on his shoulder, and pulling himself toward the edge of the couch to stand. He lifted himself slowly, his legs shaky, and grabbed onto the silent redhead's arm to hold himself up. After a moment of stabling his legs he began to slowly walk, and Aya followed closely behind.   
  
When Ken nearly fell for the third time up the stairs, Aya smoothly caught him, manuevering the younger assassin to lean against him with an arm around his shoulder to guide him, "This would be easier if I just carried you." He grunted quietly.  
  
"No..." He breathed out shakily. The brunett tightened his grip on the other man's shoulder, making his way up the stairs, slowly.  
  
"Stubborn." The redhead couldn't help but mutter, and was rewarded with a clumbsy trip up from the brunett-- which was exactly what he wanted. Not wasting a second, he bent down, grabbing the other boy behind the knees, and scooping him, instantly, into a cradled position. He then began to climb the stairs swiftly, like he was accustomed to.  
  
The younger man made a noise, almost a growl, and began to struggle to get out of his leader's grasp, but weakly and ineffectively due to the severe pain that kept shootin through his body with every attempt at breaking free. Finally he just let himself be carried. The tears, as they had been drying, were now coming again.  
  
When they reached Ken's room, Aya pushed the already opened door wider and entered to lay the brunett on the bed. It was dark and humid, and the window was shut against the night air. He carefully (as so not to trip over the senseless clutter) moved over to the bed, laying the brunett down upon the messy glob of blankets and pillows that Ken slept on.  
  
As the brunett was placed on the bed, he began to pull himself up into a sitting position.   
  
Sighing, Aya seated himself on the edge of the bed beside to brunett, forgetting about the light as his vision adjusted to the present darkness of Ken's room. He frowned, raising his hand to move the hair from Ken's face, only to see pained green eyes and tearstained cheeks, "What's wrong?"  
  
There was no reply, as the shorter man weakly batted away the extended hand. Without warning, he leaned forward, wrapping his arms tightly around Aya's shoulders and buried his face in the crook of the other man's neck. He tightened his arms, and there was a muffled sob.  
  
Completely taken off of his guard, Aya tensed. He could feel the tears soaking through his shirt, and then he heard the low sob the younger man emitted, a sound that seemed to rip his resistance in half. He raised his arms slowly, wrapping them around the other man; he had been very unprepared for this.  
  
There was a warmth in feeling the other man nearby, always had been, a very pleasant change of temperature. Strangely, holding the other man in his arms seemed to increase that warmth, and that unfamiliar feeling that aided it. It was odd that for the first time since his sister's coma, he actually enjoyed the touch and close proximity of another person. His arms seemed to tighten subconsciously around the other man, and Ken slowly lifted his head from the other's shoulder.  
  
Green eyes did not raise to meet his, at first, they stared dully at his chin, before raising slowly to his lips. He stayed that way for a moment, before unraveling one of his arms from around Aya, and moving his hand to the side of the redhead's pale face. He lifted the hand, leaving only his index finger, and dragged it lightly across his cheeks and over the brigde of his nose, where it paused before moving down and landing square on Aya's lips.  
  
Aya was frozen, tense; somehow unable to make himself move.  
  
The other man spoke, quietly, "You have a pretty nose, Ran."   
  
That name again. The redhead was still, where he would usually have made some sort of statement or expression showing his confusion (perhaps even irritation), for there was no mirth visable or aubible from the man in his arms.  
  
His finger tip still rested upon the other man's closed lips, and the brunett spoke even softer, "But your mouth is beautiful." The obtrusive finger was removed.  
  
With muddled thoughts, Aya watched the brunett sharply, his voice speaking softly, "What are you doing, Ken?"  
  
The other man continued to keep his eyes trained on his, responding even softer, "I'm waiting to see what you will do..."  
  
That was certainly not the answer he had been expecting, "What do you want me to do?"  
  
"It's not about me, Aya." His voice was hardly a whisper, "It's what -you- want to do."  
  
The wheels of Aya's mind began to spin (making small clinking and squeaking noises, for they were badly in need of oiling), he moved his eyes to look elsewhere from the green ones before him and he withdrew his arms, "I'm going to leave. So you can return to normal."  
  
The younger man was still for a moment, then nodded, his grip suddenly loose and wirey around Aya's frame.  
  
Strangely, Aya found himself hesitant to move.  
  
"Why aren't you leaving?" The tone was simple-- he was proving a point.  
  
He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing would come to him. He should leave. He should get up and walk out, and leave the brunett to become his normal self, before anything possibly regretable for either of them happened between them. Like a kiss, or more than a kiss.  
  
He should leave, but that's not what he really wanted to do.   
  
Ken had not moved, and almost as if he were reading every thought that ran through violet eyes, he spoke, "You feel it, too." It was almost surprise with which he whispered those words, and as quickly as he said it, he pulled his arms away. The distance between them was reopened, and Ken lay down quietly, reaching for his covers and his pillow as if nothing had happened. And nothing really had happened.   
  
It was for the best. Aya stood, somewhat relieved at the disappearance of the situation, and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
"Boo."  
  
The violet-eyed man froze.  
  
"Scare you?" The lazy tone asked.   
  
The redhead became increasingly aware that he was standing in a cloud of smoke and shot the other man a glare, "No smoking in the house, Kudou."  
  
The blonde rolled his eyes, "Aw. Now, let's not change the subject, red."  
  
Aya growled, snatching the cigarette from the other man and driving the burning tip into the wall, "This conversation has no subject." He let the remains fall to the floor and swiftly passed the frowning blond.  
  
"'S no reason to get snippy." Youji muttered, following Aya down the steps and into the kitchen, "It's not like I really heard anything, anyway... Well, before the part about you having a beautiful mouth, and all."  
  
As the stoic man began to prepare his tea, Youji took a seat at the table smirking and propping up his heeled clubbing shoes on the table top, "So, you wanna tell me what's going on with you and our dearest incapacitated Kenken?"  
  
"Get your feet off the table."  
  
"Yes, ma'am." The thunk of feet hitting the floor.  
  
"Stop smiling."  
  
"Right away!" The smirk was audible in his voice.  
  
Aya was silent as his water finished heating. He removed his mug from the microwave and dropped his teabag into the heated water, too tired to go through the motions of actually putting the kettle on when Youji was going to be lurking around.  
  
"So...?"  
  
He threw away the paper packet out of which he got the tea bag.  
  
"Don't be shy, Aya." Youji's grin covered half his face, "What's going on?"  
  
The redhead picked up his mug.  
  
"Aya...?"  
  
"I love him."  
  
The blonde froze, perhaps even stopped breathing for a moment. When he finally remembered who and where he was and what Aya had just said, the redhead was nowhere in sight.  
  
--  
  
Aya sighed, and rolled over onto his back to face the ceiling. He couldn't be sure of why he had said that to Youji. Perhaps he had just wanted the playboy to shut up. If that was the case, it had certainly worked. It wasn't like it particularly mattered. Yet, something continued telling him that it did.  
  
'Maybe I do...' He frowned, moving his arms to fold them behind his head. It had been so long since he had just laid in bed and thought. He had been so busy lately, he could never find time to relax.  
  
He took a deep breath and sighed, 'What if I do love him?'  
  
Ken had said, "You feel it to." Was he talking about this? Love? How was he supposed to know what love is or what it felt like? He hadn't had contact with the reality of that feeling since his sister's coma. It wasn't to say he didn't love Aya-chan anylonger, but more as if he had discovered the difficulty of loving someone and never having them look at you, or say your name, or acknowledge you-- even if it wasn't her fault. Even that love felt towards his sister, was a different kind of love.  
  
Whatever he felt for Ken was not philial love. Though the more he though about it, neither did it seem platonic.  
  
He had always thought the brunett was special, and even from the first time he had met the other man, despite the violence of the situations they endured, he knew that the other man would be someone important to him-- though at that particular time, he was thinking more towards enemy.  
  
He remembered the evening before and his brief walk in the rain. It was strange how he felt somewhat protective when it came to the Hidaka. Last night had been hell, seeing him in pain-- crying, even. That was a sight he had only seen on the younger man once before, and sheerly by accident. It had happened right after Kase's death.  
  
Resisting growling at his own confusing and muddled thoughts, Aya decided to simply lay and not think for a while. He never really got to enjoy mornings like this. Lazy and shirtless in bed, too tired to get up, but not tired enough to sleep. He shuddered as he realised that Youji might actually be rubbing off on him (sans the glasses, women, clubs, hangovers, and future lung disease -- which, when looked at from that perspective, meant he was still virtually safe).  
  
There was a light knock at the door.  
  
Aya frowned and began to lift himself from the bed. He knew it was too good to last. Trudging over to the door, trying his best to appear alert, he reached for the door handle and turned it. The door opened just a crack, and he peered out into the hallway.  
  
Ken stood there wearing a green T-shirt that read, "I'll kick your ass." over a soccer ball with an arrow pointing to it that read "Your ass" [2], and a pair of very wrinkled khaki's that came down exposing only the first few toes of his socked feet. He was scratching lightly at the back of his neck facing the other end of the hall, until he realised the door had opened and spun around to peer through the small crack that Aya had allowed. He blinked.  
  
"Ano... Aya?" He spoke hesitantly, leaning in a bit, trying to get a glance of the redhead through the door.  
  
"What do you want?" The weiss leader spoke very monotone, openning the door to at least half-ways.  
  
Ken frowned and urged his eyes to remain on Aya's face instead of observing his leader's very attractive physique, as he only wore a pair of grey cotton pajama pants, "Umm... I looked for you in the shop, but Youji and Omi told me you had the second shift, so..." He paused, pensivity apparent on his features, "I just came to say, uh..."  
  
Aya frowned and quirked an eyebrow; waiting. "...?"  
  
Seeing the impatience tinged on the redhead's face, Ken bit his lip and spoke very briefly, "I just came to say that I'm very sorry for how I have acted yesterday and last night. I wasn't careful enough on the mission, and I made myself a liability. And I'm very, very, sorry. And I thank you for, um..." The brunett paused, trying to think quickly of a way to say what he wanted to say, "Aa... Thank you for, uh... Not killing me!" Without a delay, he bowed deeply and stood facing the ground, waiting for a response.   
  
The redhead blinked.  
  
"So, ah... If it's alright with you I'll just--"  
  
"How much do you remember?" Aya sighed, sounding tired, and trying to get directly to the point.  
  
Ken frowned and looked up, "Enough to be extremely embarassed--"  
  
"Be specific." The violet-eyed man snapped.  
  
"Um..." He began once again to scratch at that spot on the back of his neck, "I remember gluing my hand to a wall, and something about a spider." He winced suddenly, "And I remember breaking Omi's trust about..." He drifted off. "And I saw you walking in the rain from the roof at some point."  
  
Aya nodded.  
  
"And I also remember something about being Buddha, but I may have just imagined that." He added quickly, "All that I remember after that is pain."  
  
"That's it?"  
  
A nod.  
  
"Nothing else?"  
  
He shook his head.  
  
"So you're back to yourself again."  
  
"I suppose." Ken glanced away from the other, and beginning to wish Aya was wearing a shirt-- despite how good he looked without it.  
  
"Are you sure there's nothing else?" The usually stoic voice this time had the beginning sound of a smirk in it.  
  
Unable to look up for shame, the ex-J-leaguer hesitantly nodded, as if debating over something in his mind.  
  
"Then why won't you look at me?" There was definately the sound of jesting in Aya's voice.  
  
Ken looked up, giving the other man a puzzled look when he saw the mischevious look on the other's face, "What?"  
  
"What do you think of my nose, Ken?"   
  
The brunett blinked. Just where had that question come from? Vaguely, something about it struck in Ken's mind as being familiar, "What do I... what?"  
  
Aya resisted rolling his eyes, the mischevious look gone and now appearing very normal, "My nose, Ken. What do you think of it?"  
  
"Um... Why?" Green eyes looked adorably confused, "You're not thinking of changing it, are you?"  
  
There was silence for a moment as the redhead quirked a fine eyebrow, "No."  
  
"Oh... Heh heh." Ken chuckled to himself nervously, "Er, I guess it's... pretty."  
  
Something clicked within Aya's mind, "That doesn't sound like something you'd -normally- say."  
  
This time Ken smirked, suddenly seeming a lot bolder, "I don't have to be normal anymore. I have an excuse."  
  
"Oh?" The violet-eyed man watched the brunett sharply, "Enlighten me."  
  
Unexpectedly Ken took a step forward, placing one hand on the door frame and the other on the door, and he leaned in within centimetres of the redhead's face, "Because you feel it, too."  
  
"Maybe you're just assuming things." Violet eyes challenged.  
  
"Maybe..." The brunett closed the distance, brushing his lips against those of the redhead. It was short, with little pressure-- just a peck. He pulled back slowly, watching the older man before him.  
  
Aya was immobile. He could barely breathe. He was frozen in place, yet he still felt unbelievably warm.  
  
"Or maybe you're just denying things." Ken smirked lightly, feeling as if his mission were complete, and began to back into the hallway, when suddenly there was a firm grip at the neck of his shirt.  
  
The redhead, giving into some unknown force caused by the close proximity of the brunett pulled the other man forward again, meeting his green-eyed gaze with playful scorn. He sighed and shook his head, "You can't do anything right." With that, Aya leaned forward and kissed him-- proper.  
  
It was strange how quickly it seemed to happen. Just a slight brush of the lips at first, then a slow appliance of pressure and movement, just before it was deepened by the gentle graze of a tongue over his lower lip. Aya's hands slowly slid around him, and he felt his own reach up to mingle in the others silky hair. A cool hand lifted the edge of his shirt and brushed against his abdomen. Then, with a single swift movement, his shirt was gone, and he felt Aya pulling them backwards, "Too many clothes on in the bedroom."  
  
He shut the door. [3]  
  
--  
  
Downstairs in the shop, the crowd of school girls had just flocked away after Omi as he ran to reach his class on time. Youji sighed and leaned against the counter wondering when, or if, Ken was coming down again for his shift.  
  
--  
  
OWARI  
  
--  
  
Author's Notes... (For background info)  
  
1] And that's -real- sleeping. As in drooling-on-your-pillow-with-chemical-reactions-of-the-cerebrum-that-cause-fanastical-wonders-and-terrors-to-play-themselves-through-your-subconscious-minds-so-that-when-you-wake-up-in-the-morning-you-can-say,-"Hey! What a friggin' awesome dream!" kind of sleep, you hentais. Get your minds out of the gutter. --;;   
  
2] Heh, heh. One of my friends is a soccer-player and she has this shirt.  
  
3] Insert your hentai li'l thoughts here. I don't write lemons. :P


End file.
